The Toyota USA Foundation announced it will contribute $100,000 to the annual CORE4 STEM Expo for students studying science, technology, engineering, and math.
toyota USA National Vice-President Pat Pineda said by 2018, 1.2 million STEM jobs will go unfilled.
"That’s because we don’t have enough people that have the requisite skills, and I think unfortunately we all know that this is a particularly acute problem in the Latino community," Pineda said.
CORE 4 STEM is in its fourth year as a competition designed to inspire middle school students to explore STEM careers.
Congressman Joaquín Castro said students across the city need more encouragement to get into science and technology studies.
"We need interest in STEM all over the city for folks from all different backgrounds. And the competition, the Expo, just keeps getting bigger and bigger and Toyota’s contribution will help grow that," Castro said.
Pineda said the grant reflects Toyota’s commitments to the support of the Latino community and to advancing opportunities for education in STEM fields. She said this commitment is just the start of the foundation's support in the San Antonio community.
